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Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom operator, is in talks with multiple handset makers to bring a planned fully-loaded dual SIM 4G smartphone (with a 4-inch display, dual camera, VoLTE calling, and a longer battery life) for INR 2,500-2,700 to take on Reliance Jio, which plans to offer Internet-enabled feature phone for a refundable deposit of INR 1,500.

India’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel is in talks with multiple handset makers to bring a 4G smartphone for a price as low as Rs 2,500-2,700 to take on Reliance Jio. While Mukesh Ambani-led Jio has announced plans to offer Internet-enabled feature phone for a refundable deposit of Rs1,500, Airtel is placing its bet on a full-fledged smartphone as it believes people would be ready to shell out a little more to get a loaded handset. A source familiar with the development said the new 4G smartphone — that will debut around Diwali — will come bundled with Airtel’s 4G connection and «attractive» data and voice plan to woo mass market customers. The planned dual SIM 4G smartphone will sport a four inch display, dual camera, VoLTE calling and a longer battery life. The Android handset will come with 1 GB RAM, said the source who wished not to be named. He, however, did not say when the phones would be available for booking. Reliance Jio had, in July, announced that formal bookings for Jio Phone would open on August 24, while the phone itself is expected to be available from September. According to industry estimates, six million bookings have been recorded for JioPhone, that offers free voice calls and smsfor life. Unlimited data offering comes for Rs 153 per month. While the details such as the name of the handset makers that Airtel is negotiating with and the exact offers on anvil are still under the wraps, it is learnt that the Sunil Mittal company will co-promote the 4G smartphone with the manufacturers. Besides this, Airtel also plans to offer its retail distribution muscle to take the device to the masses. «The company is talking to various handset manufacturers to bring a Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,700 Android-based 4G smartphone to the market around Diwali,» the source said. Airtel declined to comment on a detailed email questionnaire sent by PTI. «As a policy, we do not comment on market speculation,» the Airtel spokesperson said. The company’s strategy to counter Jio offering is based on its belief that the Indian telecom consumer is looking for a large screen smartphone experience at an affordable price. Hence, Airtel’s new 4G smartphone bundled offering will target customers looking to upgrade from feature phones. Reliance Jio, which started accepting pre-bookings on August 24, was forced to suspend the process after a whopping over 6 million JioPhone units were pre-ordered in a matter of just three days. The delivery of the JioPhone is expected to start during Navratri festival starting September 21, according to a channel partner of Reliance Retail. Sign up and never miss out on market moving news, top trends and compelling perspectives

Telecoms operators have blocked SMS mailings from deputies to the Moscow Region Board to their constituents. For example, the proposed deputy from the Presnensky Municipal District, Vladimir Ryazansky, has urged the voters via SMS to come to a meeting with him and other candidates, and to the September 10 elections. VimpelCom, MTS, MegaFon, and T2 RTK Holding (Tele2) have declined to comment.

Russian Beeline, controlled by the VEON Group, has launched a promotion to offer ZTE BladeA6 Lite smartphones at the discounted price of RUB 6,990 to customers signing up to Beeline’s “Everything 2” tariff for three months.

Russian mobile operator Beeline, controlled by the Veon Group, is running a promotion for the ZTE BladeA6 Lite smartphone. It has a 5.2-inch HD IPS-screen and 5,000 mAh battery, and runs on Android 7.1 OS. It is available at the discounted price of RUB 6,990 to customers signing up to Beeline’s ‘Everything 2’tariff for three months. The promotion is available through Beeline shops and those of its dealers, as well as through Beeline’s online shop.

The article reviews Bluetooth keyboards, particularly, the Logitech K780 with extremely stable and consistent wireless connection, and the ability to swap between devices at the touch of a button, becoming a bridge between the warring, incompatible worlds of Microsoft, Apple and Google.

Here at the Financial Times, we try to bring you news and views on the latest cutting-edge technology — the kind that can transform our lives and upend industries. This column is about Bluetooth keyboards, but it still fits at least one of those categories. I am as surprised as you are. After all, most PCs and every laptop already come with their own keyboard. Why bother buying another, unless it wears out? When my FT-issued Dell keyboard did just that, I bought an $80 Logitech K780, mainly because it was wireless (reducing desktop clutter) and had a full number-keypad (for those complicated earnings reports). But the keyboard had another feature that I did not anticipate would be quite so useful: the ability to swap between devices at the touch of a button. In the top-left corner are three numbered buttons, each of which can be paired with a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android device or Chromebook — almost anything with a Bluetooth connection. Suddenly, the humble keyboard becomes a bridge between the warring, incompatible worlds of Microsoft, Apple and Google. In a world where hopping from a Microsoft PC to an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy can feel like moving to another country, the Logitech keyboard speaks any language. The K780 even has a small groove running the length of the keyboard in which a smartphone or tablet can be propped up, so every screen is visible at the right angle. Here is how I used mine, which was paired with a Windows desktop, an iPhone and an iPad. I could be working away on the PC when a text came in on the iPhone’s iMessage app, which can only be accessed on Apple devices. Instead of picking up my iPhone and typing — slowly — with my thumbs, I could tap the “2” hotkey and reply without moving my fingers from the keyboard. If someone was coming in for a meeting, I could take my keyboard into the office conference room and take notes on the iPad, like a laptop. The K780 is a good keyboard in its own right, with a solid build and smooth, quiet keystrokes. But even if you want to pay less than $80, many keyboards from Logitech and other manufacturers offer the quick-switching capability. On the K780, I found the wireless connection to be extremely stable and consistent, and switching instantaneous. Battery life is advertised as two years, or about 4m keystrokes. The fact that many of us still need a physical keyboard speaks to an unsolved problem on smartphones. Ten years after the iPhone launched, typing on a touchscreen is still slower and more error-prone than a physical keyboard. That is true for most of us, even with the marvel that is auto-correct or predictive keyboards such as Google’s Gboard and Microsoft’s Swiftkey. If you are all-in on Apple products or never leave Google’s Chrome browser, the appeal of a universal keyboard may be diminished. Being agnostic of device or screen is a selling point for remaining within these “walled gardens”. But most of us still rely on a Windows PC, while few have a Microsoft phone, bringing some sort of interoperability headache. For me, the problem was particularly acute with iMessage, which shows just how powerful Apple’s texting app has become at keeping customers loyal to the iPhone. A friend this week told me that iMessage was the main reason he had not bought a cheaper Android device. “It was a real issue when I was dating,” he said. “The green text was a great social indicator” — for people he did not want to date. Relying on the blue bubbles that denote another iPhone user as a filter for finding a mate is extreme. Nonetheless, if you find yourself cheating on Apple with your Windows PC or laptop, the humble Bluetooth keyboard is there to cover your tracks. It may not be changing the world but it has certainly made my daily work life easier.

The co-founder of Cevian Capital and the Swedish activist investor Christer Gardell has called the end to conglomerates. Cevian’s latest target is Swedish Ericsson, in which Cevian is the largest shareholder by capital. Mr. Gardell has argued Ericsson should focus on its telecoms equipment business, where it is a world leader, and jettison units such as its media activities.

Europe’s leading activist investor has called the end to conglomerates, saying the next big trend will be for them to shrink by selling non-core businesses. Christer Gardell, the co-founder of Cevian Capital, the Swedish activist investor with $15bn in assets, told the Financial Times that some of Europe’s biggest industrial conglomerates, such as Siemens and Philips, had already started the process. “The major trend in M&A over the next five to seven years will be demergers. These complicated businesses will simplify themselves by spinning parts off,” he said. Cevian has been a driver of the trend for many of the companies it has stakes in, including Volvo, ThyssenKrupp, Danske Bank and Ericsson, to sell assets and concentrate on their core businesses. “I think it’s the end of conglomerates. General Electric and those classic conglomerates are falling apart. It’s an old-fashioned structure that is getting increasingly difficult to manage,” he said. Mr Gardell drew a link between the unwinding of conglomerates and investor activism. Several high-profile US activists have started looking at Europe, targeting groups such as Nestle, Danone and Akzo Nobel, the chemical and paints company. Recent big demergers in Europe include AP Moller-Maersk selling its oil business for $7.5bn to focus on container shipping and German power companies Eon and RWE spinning off big parts of their business. “We love conglomerates. They are obviously undervalued due to the complexity of them and the bureaucracy needed to run. If you can relieve them of that, you enable them to perform much better,” Mr Gardell said. Cevian has had more success with some of its investments than others. It persuaded Cookson Group, a UK industrial company, to split itself in two in 2012. But last year it failed in its attempts to push ABB, the Swiss engineering group, to sell its power grid business. Mr Gardell said he preferred management and boards to be focused on making a company more profitable rather than on divisions that are struggling. “There’s always a problem at a conglomerate. The energy of management and the board will focus on the problems. Without attention, the non-problematic areas will turn into problems,” he said. Cevian’s latest target is Ericsson, the struggling Swedish technology group. Cevian has become the largest shareholder by capital with a stake of close to 7 per cent, overtaking the family investment vehicle of Sweden’s powerful Wallenberg family, which is still the largest by votes. Mr Gardell argued Ericsson should focus on its telecoms equipment business, where it is a world leader and jettison units such as its media activities. “We think in the core business there is no special growth but they have been neglecting it and spending the resources on non-core areas. Jesus Christ, how much value they destroyed. The board didn’t have a clue.”

Banglalink has launched PROpaid, an innovative postpaid product for digitally centered individuals, and transitioning youths. It sets out to break the many myths of postpaid being a difficulty to transfer to, hard on the wallet and exclusively for established professionals.

Banglalink, one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh, has launched PROpaid, an innovative postpaid product for digitally centered individuals, and transitioning youths, according to a press release. It sets out to break the many myths of postpaid being a difficulty to transfer to, hard on the wallet and exclusively for established professionals. PROpaid comes with two distinct offerings, bundled with value for money internet and talk-time offers. Aimed at freshly minted graduates, young professionals and tech savvy individuals, there are functional and exciting offers from bdjobs.com, Daraz and numerous restaurants. PROpaid comes in Taka 333 and Taka 555 bundles to simplify both career and lifestyle needs. Shahriar Hasan, Head of Acquisition & Postpaid, Banglalink said, “Banglalink has tried to revitalize the postpaid package with a future forward identity. PROpaid will enable individuals, especially youths transitioning into work life to grab exciting discounts and opportunities while balancing their professional and social lives.” PROpaid has been created with the ultimate purpose of simplifying access to innovative digital services, better customer experience, and a digital life in true sense. Current personal postpaid users can also migrate to PROpaid to enjoy lucrative internet and many exciting offers by simply migrating through SMS.

Public joint-stock company Alfa-Bank (Kyiv) will start placing five-year Series Q, R and S Series bonds with the total value of UAH 1.1 bln on October 23, 2017, the bank has said in a press release. Alfa-Bank was founded in 1993 by ABH Holding. ABHH’s current beneficiaries include Lviv-born Mikhail Fridman with 36.47%.

Public joint-stock company Alfa-Bank (Kyiv) will start placing five-year Series Q, R and S Series bonds with the total value of UAH 1.1 billion on October 23, 2017, the bank has said in a press release. The bonds will be placed on Perspectiva stock exchange: Q Series from October 23, 2017 through December 23, 2017, R Series from November 23, 2017 through April 24, 2018 and S Series from June 27, 2018 through May 28, 2019. The securities will be issued with the face value of UAH 1,000 in the following amount: Q Series 500,000, R Series and S Series 300,000 each. The coupon for Q Series bonds for the first coupon period (from October 23, 2017 to January 21, 2018) is set at 13.5% per annum in hryvnias. The coupon for R Series bonds for the first and second coupon periods (from November 23, 2017 to May 23, 2018) is set at 15% per annum in hryvnias. The coupon for S Series bonds for the first-fourth coupon periods (from June 27, 2018 to June 25, 2019) is set at 14% per annum in hryvnias. The coupon will be paid quarterly. The bonds could have an annual offer. Alfa-Bank was founded in 1993. ABH Holding also includes Alfa-Bank in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Amsterdam Trade Bank N.V. The subsidiaries of ABHH also carry out activities in Cyprus and the UK. ABHH’s current beneficiaries include Lviv-born Mikhail Fridman with 36.47%, Kyiv-born German Khan with 23.27%, who are now citizens of Israel and reside in London, the U.K. Other beneficiaries are Alexei Kuzmichev with 18.12%, Pyotr Aven with 13.76%, Andrei Kosogov with 4.08% (all are citizens of Russia residing in Moscow), and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research with 4.3%. Alfa-Bank ranked 10th among 88 operating financial institutions on July 1, 2017 in terms of assets (UAH 35.165 billion), according to the National Bank of Ukraine.